Des décombres après une frappe près de Qaa, à la frontière entre le Liban et la Syrie, dans la nuit du 24 au 25 octobre 2024. Photo obtenue par notre correspondante Sarah Abdallah
An Israeli raid targeting the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon on Friday morning cut off a border crossing between the two countries, Transport Minister Ali Hamiyeh told AFP, marking the second out of three total crossings now closed.
"The Qaa crossing is out of service following an Israeli raid on Syrian territory, hundreds of meters from Syrian border guards," said Hamiyeh, adding that the raid had blocked the road for cars and trucks, leaving only one crossing between the two countries still operational.
According to information obtained by L'Orient-Le Jour, this air raid targeted a bridge in the "Jousseh" area — the name used in Syria for the Qaa crossing — and destroyed a cemetery near the target.
Hezbollah 'utilizes' this border crossing
Later in the day, the Israeli army confirmed that it had conducted a strike on this border crossing, claiming it was used by Hezbollah to transport weapons into the country. "During the night, (...) Israeli aircraft struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure at the Jousseh border crossing in the northern Bekaa region," the army said in a statement, using the Syrian name for what Lebanon calls the Qaa crossing. According to the Israeli army, Hezbollah "exploits this post, controlled by the Syrian regime (...) to transfer weapons (used) to conduct numerous terrorist operations."
Roula Amine, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) based in Amman, told Reuters that she was unaware of any evacuation order issued by the Israeli army before the strike. "These attacks on border crossings are very concerning," said Amine. "They block the route to safe areas for people fleeing the conflict." She noted that nearly 430,000 people have crossed the Lebanon-Syria border since September 23, when the Israeli army began its expanded offensive.
In addition to the three official border crossings between the two countries, several illegal crossings, particularly in the Hermel region, have been bombed by the Israeli air force in recent weeks.
